This yummy, satisfying and immune-boosting salad is made of colourful and juicy winter veggies & fruits and dressed in a velvety, creamy homemade mayonnaise. I’ve chosen red cabbage, carrots, crisp apples, oranges, celery, cranberries and herbs as well healthy oils from olive, rapeseed, linseed and nuts. 

I like to serve this Wintersalad as a main course, with some crumbles of feta, goats cheese or plant-based alternative. The salty taste of the cheese is a great match for  the sweet & sour notes of the berries, apples and oranges.

You can also add grains for more substance -  by adding a bit of fluffy quinoa or whole grain rice for extra body. It’s also a very nice starter, with some toasted and lightly buttered sour-dough bread on the side. And of course it’s an amazing side or filler for a plant-based or meat-based burger! Endless options…

The salad tastes especially good after a night in the fridge when the sauces has been soaked up by the ingredients, and therefore can easily be prepared in advance. Or if there are leftovers they will make up for a perfectly satisfying bring to work lunch.

Connie's nutrition tip:

The healthy oils in the mayo dressing are an important part of a balanced diet. Don't shy away from them! Some fatty acids are essential in our bodies (meaning we have to eat them and can’t produce them in our bodies) plus a balanced fatty-acid profile in our food is necessary to keep us fit. It is especially important to fight off infection and inflammation! Therefore put emphasis on healthy oils from nuts and seeds, algae or fish to stay on track.

Fat soluble vitamins like Vit. A (beta-Carotin ), Vit. E (in nuts and oils), Vit. K and Vit. D need a bit of oil in the food to be absorbed in our bodies.

RECIPE

Ingredients: (for 4-6)

100g dried cranberries (soaked in lemon juice)

1/2 organic lemon juice and zest

2 handfuls of toasted hazelnuts  or walnuts; both roughly chopped (about 50g)

300g red cabbage (half a small head), finely shredded

1 big apple (about 200g), washed and cut in fine sticks (3cmx0.3mm), mixed with lemon juice to avoid browning

1 organic orange (wash well and grate the orange peel into a big mixing bowl . Then cut the peel off and cut in slices of 3x1cm approx.)

celery 250g (either celery stalk or tuber, cut into fine sticks (3x0.3mm)

herbs: a handful of roughly chopped dill or parsley or rocket.

Connie's selbstgemachte Mayonnaise: (if you don’t want to make your own mayo, see recipe for a simpler yoghurt based sauce below)

1 egg (the whole egg if you have a suitable mixer, otherwise only egg yolk)

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp vinegar

1 tsp honey

½ tsp salt

a good dash of pepper

about 90ml cold pressed olive oil

about 70ml of cold pressed rapeseed oil

1 Tbsp. flax seed oil

Yoghurt based sauce:

200g greek yoghurt

2Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp rapeseed oil

½ tsp flaxseed oil

juice of ½  lemon juice and zest

1tsp flaky salt

dash of pepper

 Method:

1.Put cranberries into a small jar with lid, and squeeze the lemon juice over it, close the lid and shake it well. Put aside.

2.Toast the nuts: Put the nuts on parchment paper and toast in the oven at about 180C for 10mins. They are done when they appear a shade darker and smell toasty. Let them cool off. You can also toast more nuts than you need and store them in an airtight container (once they are cooled off). Roughly chop them up (e..g a walnut in 4 pieces, a hazelnut halved).

3.Wash and cut all the vegetables. I usually remove the outside leaves of the cabbage but don’t take the cabbage apart before cutting (and I don’t wash the cut cabbage). Peel the celery tuber (if using), wash and peel carrots if necessary (if they have brown spots), wash the apple but leave the skin on and cut into sticks. Mix with some lemon juice to stop from browning. Peel the orange and cut into slices as well. Wash the herbs if using and roughly chop and mix into the vegetable fruit mix.

4.If you decide to make your own Mayo: use a hand mixer (I have the Bamix) that does a wonderful job at mixing up a mayo in just seconds. Put the egg and all other ingredients into a high but narrow mixing glas, just add the oils at last. Immerse the mixer into the mix glas, start it and pull it slowly up. If you don't have a bar held mixer, you need to do it the traditional way by using a regular mixer adding the bit by bit, in very small amounts.  Please check out this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjTrA9NwjN8

5.If you decide to go for the yoghurt based sauce: mix all indgredients and season to taste.

6.Mix all the veggies with the mayo or yoghurt based sauce, season to taste (salt and pepper) . Let it sit for about ½ hour before you serve. Tastes even better the next day.

 Enjoy!